Local Hits Propel Estonian Cinema Attendance to 1.26 Million in H1 2026

19-07-2026

Local Hits Propel Estonian Cinema Attendance to 1.26 Million in H1 2026

By FNE Staff

Perfect Strangers by Arun Tamm credit: Apollo Film Production

TALLINN: Driven by a surge in the popularity of local films, Estonian cinemas recorded 1.26 million admissions and a 6.7% revenue boost, totalling 9.5 m EUR in the first half of 2026. This growth occurred despite a drop in new domestic premieres from 22 to 14.

Overall, attendance ticked up by 0.7% year-over-year, while the average ticket price rose from 7.11 to 7.54 EUR, pushing the market share of Estonian films up to 22.13%.

The period's top three box office hits were Perfect Strangers / Täiuslikud võõrad directed by Arun Tamm, produced by Apollo Film Production (Estonia) in coproduction with Zolba Productions (Estonia), Centaur Films (Latvia), and Filmai LT (Lithuania), and released by Estonian Theatrical Distribution; the Michael Jackson biopic; and the biographical sports drama Our Erika / Meie Erika directed by German Golub, produced by Estonia’s Filmivabrik in coproduction with Studio Uljana Kim (Lithuania), Latvia’s KULTFILMA, Estonia’s HansaFilm and the Estonian platform Elisa, and released by HeaFilm.